Flamengo is the Rio de Janeiro under-17 football champion
"Tetra Duo" shines in the second half and Rubro-Negro beats Botafogo 2-0 in Gávea
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - inFlamengo is the new Rio de Janeiro under-17 football champion. And undefeated, for the first time in the history of the competition, which was created in 1980. After winning the first match of the finals against Botafogo 3-2, at Caio Martins, the red-blacks confirmed their favoritism and also won the second game of the decision, this Saturday (16.10), at Gávea.
With a goal from Pedrinho in the 28th minute of the second half and Matheus in stoppage time, coach Fernando Vanucci's team beat their rivals 2-0 and won the trophy. Despite not scoring, the man of the match was Romario, just 16 years old, who came on in the second half and created the plays for both goals. The red-and-black celebration was huge in the stands and also on the field after the final whistle.
Thrilled by the Gávea boys' beautiful and unprecedented victory, Flamengo president Patricia Amorim hopes the titles will multiply, but also highlights the hard work being done in the younger teams. According to her, more important than winning is seeing the club develop new, talented players.
"I can't help but be moved by these boys' victory. We achieved an undefeated title, an unprecedented one. And that's what we want to see here at Flamengo. That's our mentality: to provide all the support necessary for great work to be done in the youth divisions. Flamengo has always been champion in the professional league with homegrown players, and we want to see that. The football of the future has already begun," he stated.
Flamengo played with: Caio, Digão, Nicollas, Escobar and Efebe; Pedrinho, Lorran, Muralha and Adryan (Vitor Hugo); Thomaz (Romarinho) and Iguinho (Matheus).
Goalless draw in the first half
Like any good decision, this Saturday's derby started very evenly, tight in midfield and with high spirits. Fouls abounded, misplaced passes, and few scoring chances. Botafogo, needing a win after losing the first leg at home, pushed forward more but couldn't get past the red-and-black goalkeeper, Caio, the standout performer in the first half.
The Gávea team, in turn, opted to prioritize possession and counterattack. They had a great chance to open the scoring in the 35th minute, when Iguinho received the ball at the penalty spot, turned, and shot, but the black and white goalkeeper made a good save. The score, however, remained unchanged, leaving Flamengo just 45 minutes away from the title.
"Tetra Duo" decides and Fla is champion
Although former player Bebeto's son, Matheus, was on the bench, coach Fernando Vanucci brought on the field in the second half to try to revive the red-and-black team was another young talent with a kind of star's DNA. Born on July 17, 1994, the day of Brazil's fourth World Cup title, 16-year-old Romário came on the field and changed the game.
Flamengo grew into the match, and in the 21st minute had three chances to score in the same play. Two from Iguinho and one from João Vitor – all inside the black-and-white box. It was a warning of what was to come seven minutes later. A corner kick for Botafogo was cleared by the red-and-black defense, and the ball fell to Romário, who made a spectacular run, in true Botafogo style, from the defensive half, dribbling past two defenders, and was brought down in the box: a penalty, which Pedrinho converted to make it 1-0.
Five minutes later, he made a very similar move: he sprinted, dribbled past the goalkeeper, but hit the post. Matheus headed the ball dangerously from the rebound. And it was the duo that shone again in the final minutes. Another great run from Romário resulted in a perfect pass to Matheus, who made no mistake: 2-0, the final score, and chants of "champions" in the stands.
Follow Flamengo's official Twitter profile
Check out the video gallery on Flamengo's Official Website